DID THE autorickshaw hit Additional Sessions Judge, Dhanbad, Uttam Anand because one of the accused pulled the hand of the driver and co-accused, causing the vehicle to sway, or was one of the accused taken entirely by surprise by the “murder”? The two scenarios, by the two accused in their “confessions”, are both part of the CBI chargesheet in the death of Anand, reports The Indian Express.
The CBI is investigating three cases pertaining to the death – on the incident itself and “destruction of evidence” (the case is being heard by a Sessions Court); the theft of the auto by the accused (chargesheet has been filed); and the theft of mobile phones by the accused (in this case, a chargesheet has not been filed).
Sources in the CBI said the two varying “confessions” were confusing, and claimed to have “actionable clues” pointing to a “mastermind”. The chargesheet filed by the CBI talks about “deliberate” and “intentional” “ramming” into the judge, causing “severe bodily injuries” which were “sufficient” in the “ordinary course of nature” to cause his death.
Judge Anand was hit while on a morning walk on July 28, shortly after 5 am. A CCTV camera caught an auto knocking him down. The two accused were arrested by the Dhanbad police, with the CBI later taking over the investigation.
In his “confession”, accused Lakhan Verma said that he and co-accused Rahul Verma, who both made a living ferrying passengers on autos, had had an alternation in the days leading up to July 27. That evening, they reportedly made up and hatched the plan to steal an auto. Lakhan said they intended to drive the auto to Giridih and sell it there. His “confession” says that after stealing the auto, they drove it till 2 am on July 28, picking up some passengers for Digwadih in Dhanbad. “Rahul then slept at (a) rain basera (night shelter) while I went home… We (met up) around 5 am near a cinema hall (in Dhanbad)… Then we roamed around looking for passengers via city centre to Randhir Verma chowk, when suddenly Rahul pulled my left hand, ‘jiski wajah se ek admi jo road ke kinaare daud raha tha, usko takkar maarte hue aage badhe (due to which a person who was running by the roadside, we hit him)’.” According to Lakhan, it was after he was arrested that he realised that the man they hit was a judge.
As per Rahul’s “confession”, he met Lakhan around 4.30 pm on July 27, to apologise for their altercation. He said the two of them ferried passengers for a while. He said that after returning the auto to its owner, they were walking towards Digwadih when they saw another auto and stole it.
His statement is the same as Lakhan’s up to the point of the two of them meeting up near a cinema hall on July 28. He said as Lakhan drove the auto and the two departed for Giridih. “When we reached Randhir Verma chowk, suddenly Lakhan ran the auto (into) the judge, and told me ‘Why did I pull his left hand?’. This scared me and later I got out (off) the auto.”
According to CBI, after stealing the auto, the two went to Baliyapur, where they “scratched/defaced” the registration number and removed the number plate of the vehicle.
